Tag Archives: eat

Being a single guy living alone, I’m able to eat anything I want for dinner. I admit to eating some strange things now and then, but this stuff takes the cake.

Someone suggested I try Ramen Noodles. Okay, fine! I headed to the store and found out that you can buy like a case of these little packets of food stuffs for around a dollar. I only bought one, though, to see if I would even like it.

After opening the package and taking a bite, I couldn’t figure out why they tasted so plain. It says “Chicken Flavor” right on the front! Thank goodness the chat room pointed the way to the little packet of flavoring still inside the original package.

Dumping half of that in my mouth didn’t really make it taste like chicken, though. It just tasted like I licked a big block of salt. What’s up with that?

I don’t know what I’m doing wrong here, but I don’t think I’ll be crunching on these again any time soon.

The Loco Moco is a dish unique to Hawaiian cuisine. There are many variations, but the essential loco moco consists of white rice topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and brown gravy. Variations may include bacon, ham, Spam, kalua pork, Portuguese sausage, teriyaki beef, teriyaki chicken, mahi-mahi, shrimp, oysters, and other meats.

It may not look like anything fancy – but it’s absolutely delicious!

And apparently, it’s supposed to be topped with fried eggs (with runny egg yolk), but the server asked me how I wanted my eggs. Thank GOD I didn’t ask: “Do you have Egg Beaters?” Anyway, it’s not my fault that this Loco Moco experience was less-than-proper. I would like to apologize to all Hawaiians for this egg-regious error.

While I’ve been known to refuse chocolate at times, I’ve never turned down bacon – even if I’m stuffed. Chocolate and bacon is a combination I’ve never considered. However, there’s a chocolate bacon bar on the market now. Mo’s Bacon Bar combines smoky bacon and sweet milk chocolate into one delicious combination.

Interestingly enough, this goodness came about after many years of the creator playing around with flavors. When she was six years old, she realized how yummy her crispy bacon tasted when drenched in maple syrup – or even mixed with the melted chips from her chocolate-chip pancakes! This has resulted in a company she now runs, which is dedicated to combining chocolate with many different tastes.

So of course I ordered one for myself. It contains deep milk chocolate, Alder smoked salt, and Applewood smoke bacon. Yes, I had to try it live on the video just to put my money where my mouth is. I love unique foods anyway, so why not?

Sniffing it, you can definitely smell both bacon and chocolate. At this point, I was having second thoughts – so I bit the proverbial bullet. The texture is like a toffee bar. You can taste the salt with the chocolate while chewing. However, you don’t taste bacon until after you’re done chewing. It’s almost like a bacon aftertaste!

This is Rogue Puppet’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

Today, everyone is looking for ways to stretch a dollar further. Here are some ways you can get more for less – right at home, in your kitchen.

(1) USE your kitchen.

If you are in the habit of eating out for dinner 2, 3, 5 or even 7 times a week, it’s time to cut back. Those drive-by meals from Burger King or Subway while you are running the kids from one place to another? Those count as eating out as well. Dining out can be fun, but that gets expensive quickly. Modify that pattern to accommodate a special social event to be shared with friends or family instead. Think you are too tired, too busy or too clueless to cook? I say: Balderdash! With a little planning, you can choose and make meals that are easy (or even ones that cook while you are gone at work). Clueless? The Internet is a vast resource of recipes and how-tos, including step-by-step video guides. You can even get a Nintendo game that will teach you how to shop and cook. There is no excuse not to try.

(2) Share in the family love.

Most stores (and even some butchers) offer items in bulk or “family-sized” packaging at lower costs. While it may be difficult for you to make good use of a three gallon jar of mayonnaise (does ANY family use that much?!), there are some such items that you can use – no matter what your family size is. Buy the family pack of meat, break it down at home, and freeze it in individual packets that fit your family’s size. Lots of other items freeze well that you might not have considered, too. Try re-sizing and freezing things like spaghetti sauce, baked goods (bread), or even cheese.

(3) No Bones about it.

For many, cooking with meat means buying pre-prepped skinless, boneless cuts and using those in recipes. Relying on the meat processing company to do all your meat prep for you adds a lot of cost. You can generally save a lot on meat if you are willing to skin and de-bone it yourself. Even better, for chicken, buy the whole chicken and either cut it up or cook it whole. Being willing to get your hands just a little dirty can save you real dollars on your food bill.

(4) Cook from scratch.

For some, cooking dinner means opening a frozen meal and heating it up. While this is convenient (and sometimes tasty), it is still an expensive proposition. Most dinner recipes involve less than 15 minutes of prep and about 30-45 minutes of cooking time. If you get home late in the day (and are really hungry), consider cooking with a crock pot. For a small investment, you have a countertop appliance that can slow cook marvelous meals that are ready to eat as soon as you get home. Most people think of things like chili or stew in a crock pot, but the possibilities are nearly endless – and include things like pot roast, roasted chicken, pork chops or even vegetable dishes. Do a quick search on “crock pot recipes” and you will get thousands of results. For days, with no time to prep in the morning, freeze leftovers in meal-sized portions for your own version of “frozen dinners.”

(5) Brown Bagging, FTW.

Thus far, we’ve largely covered dinners, but making and taking your lunch to work (instead of buying something while at work) is the next extension for saving money. If you are not lucky enough to work from home, and have to eat lunch far from your own kitchen, take a bit of home with you. Instead of a $7-15 lunch, you can have a meal for a couple of bucks. Tired of bland sandwiches? Use a tortilla and make it a wrap! Fill a thermos with soup or stew – or chili. A tossed salad with the dressing on the side paired with some homemade bread is a winner any day. You think outside the box all the time to solve problems at work, so have fun getting creative with your lunch as well.

Put some (or all) of these steps into action and you will find that your eating expenses will quickly decline, but your eating experiences will grow.

Okay, it’s not enough that we’re giving you breakfast and lunch at Gnomedex, but Ponzi just told me that we’re also giving you dinner on Friday and Saturday night!!! It’s not going to be a three-course layout either night, but should prove to be something substantial (far beyond carrot sticks and dip). She says: “it probably won’t look like dinner, but it’ll be filling.” I’ll have the menus posted soon enough so you can decide for yourself, but we’re basically telling everybody that we treat all Gnomedex attendees like VIPs. This includes all Cove Gnomedexers, too. Now you wonder why we’re still looking for sponsors – this food extravaganza is killing our budget!

I lost 30 pounds in three months. If you wanted to know how I did it, and how I intend on maintaining my current weight, then these 50 weight loss tips are for you. I’m not an expert, but I do speak from experience. If it helps you attain your own weight loss goals, then I’m happy to have helped (if only to serve as a reinforcement of knowledge you already possess). Most of this, I learned on my own or through close friends and family members. Feel free to add your own tips to this list, too!

If you want even more help, I now have an PDF eBook series available, which includes an ebook version of the diet and weight loss tips that follow. Be sure to download my weight loss ebook before you scoot away! Having these tips on your hard drive or your iPhone will serve as a regular reminder of how to maintain your personal health.

It doesn’t take much to impress my palate. I’m usually content with eating leftovers, especially when Ponzi prepares ’em all mixed-up and lookin’ like a new meal. She must be hungry, because she’s been looking at food sites all afternoon (which, I suppose is better than looking at purse sites). Ponzi then announces that we’re going to Andaluca for dinner tonight. I’m thinking: “Since when did the village from ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ get a restaurant?”

Seattle Magazine readers voted Andaluca Ã¢â¬ÅSeattleÃ¢â¬â¢s Best Mediterranean RestaurantÃ¢â¬Â? for 1998 & 1999; Esquire Magazine ranked Andaluca as one of the 20 best restaurants in America for a solo meal; Voted Best Main Course and Best Service by Ã¢â¬ÅThe Secret DinerÃ¢â¬Â?, NWsource.com’s independent correspondent charged with giving you the real scoop before you make dinner reservations.

We’re headed to eat there in about an hour. I hope there’s no dress code for this restaurant, because I don’t have anything to wear but jeans [which is a total lie, but they don’t know that]. I’m looking over the dinner menu and I think… Lamb Dolmas for an appetizer and Grilled Chicken Nicoise for the main course (although I could totally do without the grilled asparagus, as it really makes my pee smell funny). What are you having for dinner tonight?

Got a note from Kevin Freeman the other day. Don’t know if I can help him directly, I think I can help him indirectly:

Chris: As we climb the search engine ladder for the key words “seattle restaurants” I always see your name so I thought I would introduce myself. My name is Kevin Freeman and I have Chron’s disease and have created this new concept to help others like myself dine out with special dietary needs. Here is a recent article done by the Vancouver Sun. We are entering into a new market in Seattle and need assistance. Mainly in the way of word of mouth or a blog entry also we do require photos of restaurants. If you do know of anyone that would want to be paid to go and cold call restaurants in Seattle, take photos and fill out information on our free sign up page that would be great. We are a start up company and cannot pay a lot but for part time work it pays ok. Thanks and hope to hear from you soon

There are so many great restaurants here in Seattle. Sometimes, we just don’t know where to go. Ponzi likes to try new restaurants all the time – but if I’m not in the mood for something, it’s difficult to make an unfamiliar choice. Sushi is our trump card.